


fate is a funny thing

by dreadtalon



Category: Shovel Knight
Genre: Gen, specter of torment spoilers, spectre tries to open up to someone and cries like a loser
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-07 05:17:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14073702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreadtalon/pseuds/dreadtalon
Summary: fate is not an eagle, it creeps like a rat.-------donovan attempts to open up to someone for the first time since his death. it's awkward, but he manages.





	fate is a funny thing

**Author's Note:**

> this is Very self indulgent haha.... also this isn't shippy ... dont be Like That

Donovan spent a lot of time in the tower's library. The room had become a somewhat comforting place to stay when he wasn't on duty at the Lich Yard. He had made friends with the tower's residents over the time it took him to recruit the Order, and he remained friends with them despite not being in the tower as frequently. Though it had only been a few months, he hadn't been able to make very good friends with any of the other knights. He was sort of friends with Propeller Knight... From a business standard. His other friends were Red, Scarlet, Gall, Acolyte, and Missy, but.... could he even call them that? It's not like he'd actually opened up to any of them. He knew he had always been something of a lone wolf, but he'd had no one to confide in since his death.

He sighed, closing his book and leaning against the wall. He liked to nestle himself on top of one of the shelves near the window. He stared out the window, losing track of time, spacing out... Reminiscing...

An hour passed.

"Specty?" 

Donovan opens his eyes.

"Specty!" 

A loud knock on the bookshelf brings Donovan out of his trance. He shook his head, looking down at the source of the sound.

"Ah. Bonsoir, Missy." Donovan stretches his arms before swinging his legs over the edge of the shelf.

"'Bonsoir' yourself! How long have you been up there?" Missy scolded, placing her hand on her hip.

Donovan says nothing, unable to give her an answer.

"Are you okay? You came in here 2 hours ago, so I came to check on you..." 

Donovan shrugs his shoulders. "I'm fine. I just spaced out for awhile."

"I never took you has the kind of guy to daydream, Specty!" Missy teased, giggling. She stopped immediately though, upon Donovan's negative reaction. 

"I wasn't daydreaming." He says, sinking his shoulders. "I was... thinking." 

Missy catches a glimpse of a familiar locket, tucked in Donovan's cape. She remembered seeing him with it constantly a few months back, though it was a different colour now...

"How important to you is that locket, Spectre?" Missy asks, eyeing the small glint of it she can see in the dim candle light. 

Donovan inhales sharply, and Missy realises her mistake.

"I-I'm sorry, Spectre. I shouldn't be prying into your personal life." She turns on her heel, preparing to leave. Donovan watches her walk away, but something inside of him wants her to stay

"....Stay with me, Missy." He blurts out. He wanted to open up to her, but would he be able to? He shifted uncomfortably before gently patting the shelf space next to him, inviting her to sit with him. She turns around, surprised, unable to say anything. She knew Donovan wasn't the sociable type, and she wondered why he'd want her to stay. Regardless, in the following silence, she climbed up the shelf and took a seat beside him. 

For awhile, the silence is relaxing. Donovan hadn't been able to sit close with someone in months, and... he was glad it was with Missy. Her presence was peaceful, yet she still had an aura of mysteriousness... 

"This locket signifies a promise." Donovan starts, pulling it out of his cowl, staring down at it. "A promise to a friend from my past life."

Missy nods, listening, silently encouraging Donovan to continue. 

"... I died in this tower, Missy. My life has both begun and ended here. I've become bonded to this place, perhaps forever."

Missy hums in response, thinking, listening. She knew Donovan had died, and she knew he was once human. They had a conversation a long time ago, about wisps, and how each wisp Donovan consumed, would make him more inhuman. A pretty tense conversation... Seemed to be a theme with them.

"Care to share more of your story?" Missy says, breaking the silence. 

Donovan nods before he continues. "My old partner and I set foot to this tower to claim the amulet for his son, Reize. We were misinformed of it's power, and we thought it would protect Reize from harm." Donovan pauses again, brushing his thumb over the locket. Missy didn't mind the pauses. She knew this must be hard for him to share, even though he wasn't giving her much detail. 

"We made it, and the amulet was just within my grasp... but... The tower crumbled after a battle the one who would become The Enchantress." 

Missy knew the story of the amulet... vaguely. Long, long ago, a mysterious and strange cult ruled the land, and powerful magic users alike from the cult created the amulet. Over time, the cult was lost, and the amulet was sealed in the tower, becoming a fabled artifact over time. Missy had always found herself bound to the tower, unable to go into the bright sun, unable to leave. She'd ways had her magic powers... She had wondered if she would ever see the outside world. 

"The Remnant of Fate chooses who it deems the strongest, ridding of anyone in that person's way before completely taking them over. You are quite a powerful being yourself. I can see why fate would have twisted itself to bring you here." She stated, relighting a candle on a nearby table with her magic.

A silence follows.

"Fate is cruel, is it not?" Missy smiled at the other.

"What has fate done with you?" Donovan asks, a bit unsettled by her smile.

"I've been bound to this tower for most of my life, if not all. A curse, methinks." 

"A curse?" 

"A curse upon my family, maybe. A curse to serve the Remnant of Fate for eternity. I am a vampire, as you know... So eternity is a very long time." Missy turns to the other, and is surprised to see him upset, breaking his icy demeanor. 

"...Eternity is a very long time..." Donovan echoes back, holding his locket with both hands, a slight tremble in his voice.

"Specty? Are you-" 

Missy is cut off by Donovan crying a bit. She's taken a back, but she quickly pulls him into a hug that he gladly returns.

"I-I'll be fine. Built up emotions, that's all."

Missy nods, rubbing the other's back. 

"Thank you for opening up to me. I know it's hard." She says.

"Thank you... for being there for me." Donovan sniffles a bit, wiping at his eyes. "I... My everything was taken from me. I've been trying to ignore it all, trying not to mourn... But I lost so much..." His voice trails off, and he takes a deep breath. "I lost someone so dear to me..." 

"It's okay to mourn, Spectre. Fate is cruel and unjust, but you can at least let yourself feel emotion sometimes..." Missy holds him tighter, and they remain that way for awhile. While he felt embarassed, Donovan realised how badly he needed someone else, some support. He may prefer to be alone, but being truly alone was scary. Eventually, Donovan takes a deep breath, pulling out of the hug.

"It won't be this way forever, Spectre. There's still hope for us yet." She smiles, softly, genuinely. 

"You are right. Fate cannot be cruel forever." Donovan tucks the locket back into his hood. At first, he felt he would be trapped, serving The Enchantress forever. As Donovan knew, though, nothing lasts forever. There was still hope that his life would improve, and now he truly believed it. 

Fate may be remorseless, but it is also forgiving.


End file.
